"Usually I see adult patients, older patients and pediatric kids," she said, adding this was "definitely outside of my job description."

Zen had been trying to catch a little sleep toward the end of her 14-hour connecting flight from Bali last week when she heard an announcement asking if there was a doctor or nurse on board.

"They initially told me it was just a lady having some abdominal pain, so I thought it was going to be something simple," she told The Associated Press. "But when I saw her she was, like, very pregnant."

The woman was seated in the plane's first-class section, where the desks made it impossible to work, so Zen had her moved to the main cabin and placed on the floor. The flight attendants quickly pitched in, providing towels, blankets and makeshift instruments as fellow passengers recorded videos with their phones.

"The baby got delivered, and everybody applauded," said passenger Edmund Chen, who filmed part of the delivery from his seat one row behind.

The video, shared with The Associated Press, shows a half-dozen flight attendants wearing surgical masks and speaking Mandarin as they help Zen. The attendants and passengers break into cheers and applause when the doctor hands the crying newborn to one of the attendants.

"I don't really like to video other people, but this was just a once-in-a-lifetime thing, you know," Chen said. He added he was amazed that when, just like in the movies, the crew asked if there was a doctor on board one stepped forward.

Zen said her new husband, an engineer, stood by ready to help, but she didn't ask him. "I think he was more nervous than I was," she said.

It's unclear if the birth, first reported by KABC-TV, occurred within a 12-mile radius of Alaska, which would make the baby a U.S. citizen.

Airport officials wouldn't say how close the plane was to landing, but Zen noted it was making its approach when the baby arrived. "It was right when we were descending that the baby crowned," she said.

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Los Angeles doctor delivers baby on flight from Taiwan

36. YVR - Vancouver International

A traveler arrives at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013. The number of international visitors to Canada plunged 20 per cent since 2000 even as global travel soars, according to a sobering report being released Thursday by Deloitte Canada. Photographer: Ben Nelms/Bloomberg via Getty Images

35. PDX - Portland Oregon International

People gather around the United ticket counter at Portland International Airport Monday, Dec. 22, 2008, in Portland, Ore. As of Monday morning, 124 arrivals and departures had been canceled at Portland International Airport, but some flights were getting out. About 200 people spent the night at the airport Saturday, 300 on Sunday. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

34. AUS - Austin-Bergstrom

Travelers walk the main concourse at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, on Friday, Sept. 14, 2007. Jim Smith, who oversees the city-owned airport in Austin, Texas, needed help fast. Mexico's no-frills airline, VivaAeroBus, wanted to make Austin its first U.S. destination, and Smith had no free gate space. (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

33. YYC - Calgary International

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32. PHX - Phoenix Sky Harbor

The silhouettes of travelers are seen as a United Continental Holdings Inc. plane takes off from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., on Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Yields on benchmark securities climbed to almost two-year highs as consumers spent more on travel and tourism while manufacturing expanded modestly from early July through late August, according to the Federal Reserves Beige Book. Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

31. TPA - Tampa International

A Delta jet takes off as others are prepared for flights Tuesday afternoon April 22, 2008, at Tampa international Airport in Tampa, Fla. Delta Air Lines Inc., the nation's third-largest carrier, said Wednesday its loss widened in the first quarter to a whopping $6.39 billion because of soaring fuel prices and the steep decline in the company's market value. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

30. SEA - Seattle-Tacoma International

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29. YOW - Ottawa International

Travellers wait for baggage at Ottawa International Airport in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011. Canada's trade deficit widened more than forecast in June, signaling that the economy may have stalled or even contracted in the second quarter. Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A Southwest Airlines Co. airplane takes off at San Diego International Airport in San Diego, California, U.S. on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013. Airlines must reconsider buying new or used aircraft as rising interest rates increase ownership costs, which could outweigh fuel savings at lower prices. Photographer: Sam Hodgson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

26. DTW - Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County

Vehicles sit at the curb outside the McNamara Terminal, serving Northwest Airlines among others, at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008. Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. pilots are working to find a compromise over union seniority, a hurdle to the merger that would create the world's biggest carrier, people familiar with the talks said. (Photo by Fabrizio Costantini/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

25. ATL - Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson

Delayed and stranded passengers waiting for flight information fill cubicles throughout Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after a snow storm on January 10, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency because of snowfall and ice across Atlanta and Georgia. A winter storm stretched across the Southeast as freezing rain and sleet followed on the heels of a heavy snow that blanketed the region. Airtran & Delta cancelled all flights out of Atlanta due to icy and snowy weather conditions. (Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

24. DCA - Ronald Reagan Washington National

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A US Airways plane prepares for take-off at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport on January 16, 2009 in Charlotte, North Carolina. US Airways flight 1549 crashed into the Hudson River in New York City on January 15, 2009 shortly after take-off from LaGuardia Airport on its way to Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

21. DEN - Denver International

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20. SFO - San Francisco International

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19. STL - Lambert-St. Louis International

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18. BWI - Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall

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17. YUL - Montreal Pierre-Elliot Trudeau

People gather to watch the Airbus A380 as it makes its first landing at the Pierre-Elliott Trudeau airport, 12 November, 2007 in Montreal, Quebec. Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Walid Bin Talal on Monday ordered an Airbus A380, making him the first private buyer of the next generation super jumbo aircraft. AFP PHOTO/David BOILY (Photo credit should read DAVID BOILY/AFP/Getty Images)

16. LAS - Las Vegas McCarran

In this June 9, 2012 file photo, visitors crowd the new Terminal 3 at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. On Thursday, July 25, 2013, airport officials at McCarran International Airport were working to fix a downed passenger processing system. They weren't sure what caused the problem. In the meantime, some airline companies are manually checking in passengers. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)

15. MCI - Kansas City International

With no planes in sight, a lone passenger waits out the ice storm cancellations at Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Missouri, Tuesday, December 11, 2007. (Photo by Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/MCT via Getty Images)

14. IAH - George Bush Intercontinental

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13. FLL - Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood

Jason Cohen of New York City, catches a few last-minutes of sun before he was to catch a scheduled flight home to LaGuardia Airport in New York, Wednesday, February 2, 2011, at the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Almost 40 planes were parked at the airport Wednesday because of flight cancellations caused by the snow and ice storm in the Midwest and East Coast. Cohen said he was an 'optomistic,' traveler and thought he would get out today. (Joe Cavaretta/Sun Sentinel/MCT via Getty Images)

12. MCO - Orlando International

In this Friday, May 25, 2012 file photo, travelers arrive at Orlando International Airport make their way to baggage claim in Orlando, Fla. Flying this summer doesnât need to be expensive, as search engines, social media, creativity and flexibility can make finding bargain airfares easier. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

11. MDW - Chicago Midway

Long lines of passengers are at the TSA security check point at Chicago Midway International Airport Monday, Jan. 6, 2014, in Chicago. The bitter weather comes after a heavy snowstorm hit much of the region last week. More than 1,000 flights were canceled Sunday at airports throughout the Midwest. More than 400 flights were cancelled at Chicago's airports Monday.(AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

10. PHI - Philadelphia International

A U.S. Airways jet is seen amidst snow blown by gust of wind at the Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Monday, Dec. 27, 2010. A powerful East Coast blizzard menaced would-be travelers by air, rail and highway Monday, leaving thousands without a way to get home after the holidays and shutting down major airports and rail lines for a second day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

9. MIA - Miami International

An airline passenger walks past a multi-color art installation as he walks towards his plane at the Miami International Airport, Thursday, July 3, 2014. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

8. DFW - Dallas-Ft. Worth International

This 17 September, 2001, file photo shows an American Airlines jet taking off from Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport in Dallas, Texas. American Airlines, the world's biggest carrier, announced 19 September, 2001, it was cutting least 20,000 jobs following the terrorist attacks against the US. No alternatives were being offered to fired employees because of the company's cash crunch after the 11 September attacks, in which two American Airlines jets were among the four lost, it added. 'This is, without a doubt, the most difficult thing I have had to do in my two decades at American,' chairman and chief executive Don Carty said in a letter to employees. AFP PHOTO/Paul BUCK (Photo credit should read PAUL BUCK/AFP/Getty Images)

7. YYZ - Toronto Pearson

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6. LAX - Los Angeles International

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5. JFK - New York John F. Kennedy

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4. ORD - Chicago O'Hare

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3. IAD - Washington Dulles

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2. EWR - Newark Liberty International

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1. LGA - New York LaGuardia

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